John d



(NbModelL) J. D. RICHARDSON & F. L. MANCHESTER.

I DRESS FORM.

No. 277,344. Patented May 8,1883.

I 4927M (MCL'OiLLuP UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

JOHN D. RICHARDSON AND FRANCIS L. MANCHESTER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

DRESS-FORM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 277,344, dated May 8, 1883.

Application filed March 13, 1883.

(No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JOHN D. RICHARD- sort and FRANCIS L. MANCHESTER, both of the city of New York, in the county and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Dress-Forms, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to a dress-form of the kind shown and described in our Letters Patent No. 266,892, dated October 31, 1882, and upon which dresses or dress-skirts may be draped while being made. or after washing, and whichmay be contracted when not desired for use, so as to be conveniently packed in a trunk or occupy butlittle space wherever it may be placed.

This dress-form comprises a column or post,

a circular series of flexible and elastic ribs, a cap or head wherein the upper ends of the ribs are secured, and one or more series of stretchers, whereby the ribs may be expanded or distended to give form to the device.

Our present invention consists in a novel combination of devices for expanding the form or distending the ribs, and in a novel mode of securing the flexible and elastic ribs in the cap or head, which features are hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a central vertical section of a dress-form embodying our invention, showing the same expanded for use; and Fig. 2 is a similar section of portions thereof on a larger scale.

Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts in both figures.

A A designate a post or column, which consists, as here shown, of a tubular portion, A, and an inner tube or rod, A, over which the portion A is placed. Upon the portion A is a collar, B, which may be secured in different vertical positions by means of the set-screw a,

or otherwise, and the tubular portion A rests f upon this collar. Therefore by varying the position of the collar the form may be raised or lowered and held in any desired position. The part A has legs or feet 0, which form a tripod, and wherebyit is afforded a stable support. This tripod is not here claimed,'b ut forms the subject of a separate application for Letters Patent filed March 13, 1883, and of which the serial number is 87,982.

0 designates a cap or head, which is here shown as made of sheet metal, spun, stamped, or otherwise formed. It has a central socket, 1), into which the upper end of the tube A enters, and wherein it is securely fixed by solder or otherwise; and it also has a hollow circumferential rim or head, 0 formed by turning its edge inward and upward, as best shown. The edge 0 is not turned up sufficiently to touch the adjacent part of the cap or head, but between them is a narrow annular slit or opening, 01, in the rim one side of which is formed by the edge '0.

D designates flexible and elastic ribs, pref erably made of steel, and secured at their upper ends to the cap or head 0. The upper end of each rib is turned outward or bent, so as to form a hook or open eye, 6. To engage the hook e with the rim 0, the rib is raised to a vertical position or inverted, and the point of the hook e is introduced into the opening d. The rib is then brought downward into the position shown, and the hook or eye e is turned entirely into the hollow rim G WVhen once the hooks e are engaged with the rim 0 they cannot become accidentally displaced. The ribs D form a circular series.

E designates a series of stretchers similar to those of an umbrella, which are connected at their outer ends with the ribs D and at their inner ends with a runner, F, fitted to the tube A.

,G designates a screw extending longitudinally in the tube A, and provided above the cap or head G with a handle, Gr, whereby it may be turned. In the upper end of the tube A is inserted and secured a socket or cupshaped washer, f, and upon the screw Gr is afixed collar, 9, fitting in such cup-shaped washer. The upper face of the collar 9 bears against a loose washer, h, placed in the socket b, and its lower face bears against the cup'shaped washer The screw is thereby held against longitudinal movement; but the same result might be accomplishedin other ways, if desired.

H designates a nutin the tube A, and which isheld against turning by lugs or ears 2, projectin g from it through slots j in opposite sides of the tube A. This nut bears with its prongs or lugs 2' upon the runner F.

The ribsD,when distended, are confined and kept in circular shape by one or more flexible bands, I, to which they are secured at equal distances apart, and, although these bands might be sufficient, we prefer to employ a second series of stretchers, E, attached at their outer ends to the ribs D and at their inner ends to a runner, F, fitting the tube A. The runners F F will then be connected by a tube, .7, fitting outside the tube A, and the runners always move together.

As before stated, the prongs or lugs i of the nut H rest upon the-runner F, and the screw l is held against longitudinal movement. Consequently when the screw G is turned toward the left the nut H will be forced down, and, acting on the runner F and through the tube J upon the runner F, it'will spread the stretchers and move them toward a horizontal position. The ribs will thereby be distended and the form expanded, as shown in Fig. 1, so as to adaptit for use.

By means ot'the screw and nut the form may be expanded to justthe degree desired, and it is expanded so gradually that but little strength is required, and it may therefore be readily done by a lady.

hat we claim as our invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a dress-form, the combination of a tubular post or column, a cap or head secured thereto, a series of elastic ribs secured in said cap or head, a series of stretchers and a runner fitting the said tube, a nut contained in said tube and adapted to act on the said runner, and a screw held against longitudinal movement in said tube, fitting said nut and serving as a means of expanding the form, substantially as described.

2. The combination of the tube A, provided with slotsj, the cap or head 0, the ribs D, the stretchers and runner E F, the screw Gr, and a nut, H, provided with prongs or lugs i, workingin said slotsj and bearing on said runner, substantially as described.

3. The combination of the tube A, the cap or head 0, the ribs 1), the stretchers E E, the runners F F, and the tube J connecting them, the screw G, and the nut H, acting on said runner F, all substantially as described.

4. The combination of the cap or head C, having the socket b, the tube A, fitting thereon, the cup-shaped washer f, the screw Gr, provided with the fixed collar 9,- the ribs D,

stretchers and a runner or runners for expand- J. D. RICHARDSON. F. L. MANCHESTER.

\Vi tnesses:

,FREDK. HAYNES,

CHANDLER HALL. 

